Capcom Confesses “We’re Trying to be as Inclusive as Possible” With Resident Evil, “Hard to Maintain a Horror Feel”

October 3, 2012
Written by Alex Osborn

Resident Evil 6 launched this week, receiving mixed reviews from critics. The heavy emphasis on combat has been a major talking point, as it is clear that Capcom is chasing after some of Call of Duty’s success.

In an interview with 1UP, director Hiroyuki Kobayashi explained why they decided to move to a more action-focused experience, confessing that “With Resident Evil, we’re trying to be as inclusive as possible. We’re trying to reach as many people as possible.”

As such, finding the right balance between action and horror has proven particularly challenging.

That makes it hard to maintain a horror feel to it when you’re trying to be inclusive. It is a challenge. I’m not afraid to admit that. We’re trying to see what kind of action we can include in the game and still maintain the horror sensibilities. Trying to blend those together is not an easy thing to do.

Producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi jumped in to add that while what they are trying to achieve may be incredibly difficult, it is still possible. “I believe you can do it. You can make a horror game with mass appeal,” he explained. “But you’re looking at a sort of Venn diagram of people who really like horror and people who really like video games or Resident Evil.”